Perception by Kim Harrington

Name: Perception (Clarity #2) by Kim Harrington.
Pages: 288.
Publication: 1st March 2012/Scholastic Point.
Rating:  ✮✮✮✩✩ 
Buy It:  Amazon | Kennys

"When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you? 

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past. 

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her. 

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back? 
One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared."

Review.

This school year is different compared to last year for Clarity Fern. After solving a murder mystery she is practically a local celebrity due to her near death experience which involved her ex-boyfriend saving her life. She is no longer the weird girl who receives visions when she touches object, yet Clare is not so sure she wants to be this popular. Add two guys vying for her attention and another secret admirer on top of those two, Clare has a hell of a lot going on.

Perception's plot was no way as interesting as the first book. The main reason is because Perception revolves around Clare's personal problems rather than the mystery like it did in Clarity. That and the fact the mystery in Perception was more predictable. Not so predictable that you are getting angry because you have figured out about a hundred pages because the protagonist (don't you hate it when that happens in books?). There is a few interesting turns in the story where you feel there are about three potential suspects. What I am saying is, you will not bored while reading Perception, that is for sure.

Clare, as a character, has evolved since Clarity. She is more mature and has seemed to lost a bit of her wit. I guess that comes with nearly being murdered though. Not I would know. Still, what I like about Clare is, despite her gift, she is not overly nosy, unlike Gwen in the Mythos Academy. She is really does just want to help people.

Clare, though, needs her own help when it comes to picking between Gabriel and Justin. Gabriel was much more boring in this book than the last. He has seemed to have lost all of his wit and cool somewhere between book one and book two and Justin? Eh, he just annoys me, trying to be cool and using terribly cheesy pick up lines. So, I have decided to make up the decision for her. Neither, I think she should go and be with Nate, her brother's, Perry, best friend. There, I said it. I cannot be the only person thinking this, no?

Perception has a lot of useless scenes in it which is not good since the book is less than three hundred pages. Most of these scenes have to do with all the high school gossip Clare is told by Kendra and that other friend whose name I cannot remember. Like, seriously, who is Duncan? He is brought up like twice yet he truly has nothing to do with the story. He is talked about more than the missing girl. No, that is a lie, I am just being dramatic.

Final Thought.

You will not be missing on much if you do not read Perception yet is too an extent an enjoyable read. The unrealistic mystery and the over concentration on the love triangle makes Perception a lot less bearable than Clarity.